WEEKLY TRENDS REPORT
Friday 16 May 2025
Pictured: Pexels
THIS WEEK’S FORECAST
FOR YOUR INFO
This week’s dates & microtrends
TikTok trends
Don’t forget to smile! The Zendaya Hat Theory
Up your feeds with the kitty shadow pose
ICYMI
The Truth. Paul Pierce walked 20 miles in his bathrobe after losing his bet.
Too hot for a Frozen land. Disney announces first theme park in 15 years in Abu Dhabi.
Phrase of the week
“The Crunchy Teen”: young social media influencers who promote alternative health and wellness.
Digi updates
Chronically online incarnate. The woman who streamed her life 24/7 for the last 3 years.
Examining the impact of smartphone bans at school a year later.
What we’re loving
Chivalry ain’t dead yet. Fighting in the octagon with full medieval armour and weapons.
Vote for the honk. Going on a road trip from the comfort of your home and with 1000 other people.
Rising trends
Dressing like a rich aunt. Estate sale shopping is the next big thing.
Tradwives are escaping patriarchy with the help of one another and social media.
Established trend
Throw a tank top on and get yoked, Protein Chic is in. But avoid going too far right.
Tea of the week
Sam Altman’s olive oil shaming and everyone thought Elmo got laid off.
On our radar
Mission: Impossible:
The Final Reckoning – 21 May
Lilo & Stich – 23 May
Lana Del Rey: The right Person will stay – 21 May
Weekly doses of cats
Sorry, cats only this week. Cat wheel gone rogue, Labubu opening with granny, and just a cosy baby
Insights of the week
The invasion of the West Village girl How influencers gentrified a neighbourhood in NYC.
Cryptic Insta stories and Snapchat streaks, the rules of dating as a teen are weird While young adults are doing everything to avoid being cringe
The future
Grab a blow torch. Companies are targeting high school juniors in shop class with $70,000 a year offers.
Reason #215 that robots will take over the world. A robot with a sense of touch was created.
Stat of the week
No joke, cancel all your PR plans for May 2026, GTA VI’s second trailer was viewed 475 million times in 24 hours.
One to watch
Lollywood. London is becoming the next Hollywood for film and TV productions.
Image: @withpyaari
Image: @.presro
Image: @cindyin00
Image: @tpwkjenna
TREND TRACKING
How some of the trends we’ve identified have evolved in recent months
Virtual weddings AI yes men Financial nihilism
Real weddings are too expensive and time consuming, leading some couples to tie the knot in online platforms like Minecraft, Roblox, VRChat and Discord instead. Going digital allows for total customisation (imagine having multiple outfit changes!) as well as no need for guests to travel. Wedding planning companies like Wedfuly are already offering digital packages, and savvy creators are getting ahead of the trend by offering bespoke venue creation. As more couples meet in online forums, it’s a trend we predict will continue to grow.
Just last week, we spoke about how people are leaning on AI for life guidance and support, as chatbots adopt kinder, more human personalities. If Mark Zuckerberg gets his way, all our support group will soon be AI-ified! However, a more sinister side is becoming apparent – the impact of AI ‘yes men’. Rolling Stone reported that ChatGPT can give people empty praise and even lead them down a rabbit hole to delusions of religious grandeur - and they aren’t alone. A Reddit user posted a concern in a thread titled “Is ChatGPT feeding your delusions?”, with hundreds of users quick to comment agreement. While most people can discern between real and automated praise, in a world of conspiracies and echo chambers, it has potential to feed egos and create real harm.
Trend: Pray-I
Although more financially insecure than older generations, Gen Z are saying yes to subscriptions, eagerly awaiting little treats delivered straight to their doorsteps every month. Among the top categories for those 18-25 are AI skincare, “fancy” cheese, flavoured oat milk and houseplants. It’s adding up. According to Visa, Gen Z spend £305 a month on average - triple that of older generations. Because the money is spread out, it feels like less of an expense. More broadly, younger people are being seen as a financially nihilistic generation not taking money as seriously and investing in joke stock like meme coins and wagering online sports bets.
Trend: Live, laugh, debt
Image: r/Jung
Image: @sarahebaus
Image: @talyuli_
Weber Forecast Insight
In 2025, a rise of cinematic content with higher production value is your ticket to the winner’s circle. Storytelling techniques are scroll stoppers – craft content that expands your brand universe. And before defaulting to the irreverent anti-brand brand voice, consider if you’re adding to the conversation or just parroting the noise.
This week’s long read
FROM FAKE REAL TO REAL FAKE
Your content just got a director’s chair
Just us or is getting real starting to feel like an act? Our feeds are full of intentional scrappiness – content crafted to look casual but curated down to the last blurry frame.
For years, authenticity ruled the marketing playbook. But with every brand cosplaying as your chronically online cousin, it’s becoming formulaic. “It’s giving quirky intern” infiltrated our comment sections. We hit peak paparazzi-style campaigns. And Reddit threads are fed up with major corporations calling us babes
So, what’s next? Less reality, more make-believe. Serve us a spectacle. Surreal creativity. Aesthetic maximalism. Skits and arcs. A world we can step into that isn’t our own. Because who wants “real” when real
life looks like, well, 2025? We’re looking for escapism and still romanticising everyday moments – leaning into cinematic content is the relief au jour.
Take the cool kid brand Late Checkout’s distinct hotel aesthetic, partnering with the Ritz-Carlton for short films. Or the Brooklyn Coffee Shop swapping out the TikTok-trend-of-the-week for hyperlocal humor. Or Jacquemus – always ahead of the curve – blending lo-fi and hi-fi for their signature style. Welcome to the post-authentic era. Reality is overrated anyway.
Image: @eugbrandstrat
Image: Vogue Business
Image: @ritzcarlton
Image: r/changemyview
WANT TO KNOW WHAT ELSE IS ON THE HORIZON?
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